The New Directions Veterans Choir, an award winning a cappella group, will officially open the One Run For Boston cross country relay at 1:00PM on Sunday March 16th, 2014 at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA. The Choir is comprised primarily of men and women who have served proudly in the United States Military but found themselves homeless following their service. New Directions Veterans Choir gave them hope and direction. Most recently, the choir was featured on “America’s Got Talent”.

The One Run For Boston relay, which last year raised $91,000 for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, is set to blaze an even brighter trail across the country in 2014. Organizers Danny Bent, Kate Treleaven, and Jamie Hay hope to raise $1,000,000 for One Fund Boston.

The return of the record-breaking, non-stop running relay from LA to Boston will coincide with the first anniversary of the Boston bombings. This year, the One Run for Boston relay will start out on the Santa Monica Pier, in Santa Monica, California on Sunday March 16th, 2014 and is scheduled to reach Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday, April 13th 2014, just two days before the first anniversary of the attacks. Stages of the relay are anywhere from 10 to 22 miles long. Group stages of 5 miles will be ran in some of the major cities along the route including Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, and New York City.

John Odom of Redondo Beach, California, will carry the baton for the first steps of its 3300 miles journey along Ocean Drive to San Vincente Blvd. John was in Boston for the finish of the first One Run for Boston relay in 2013 and carried the baton the final few meters along Boylston Street. At the time, he was in a wheelchair as a result of the injuries he sustained in the bombings. Eleven operations and countless hours of physical therapy later, John is able to walk again and his inspirational progress symbolizes the courageous spirit shared by those impacted by the bombings.

For more information on the relay, please visit www.onerunforboston.org.